Paul T Davies reviews 1-2-1 This Sex Is Real presented by Selfie Productions at the Edinburgh Fringe.
121 This Sex is Real. C Royale, Edinburgh Fringe
15/8/18
4 Stars
The appropriately titled Selfie productions have created a short, sharp, punchy play about body image, shaming and the pressure of social media. In places its not exactly subtle, but the tension cranks up nicely and is well performed by Rob Leach and Olivia Jewson.
In a claustrophobic space, we discover her lying on a bed, waking up after a drunken night, and it transpires that she has gone home with her Tinder date. They decide to date, and, reflecting the speed of social media, things move fast. But never having the perfect body always gets in the way, she has to filter every picture before going out and he will always live in the shadow of muscle bound celebrities. It builds to a powerful sequence when they mark thier bodies with lipstick, to show what they are unhappy with. Basically, everything.
Rob Leach also wrote the play, and it brims with potential. Occasionally the argument that social media is harmful is a little simplistic and obvious, and the relationships with parents can be explored more. But the play is funny and thought provoking, and performed with total commitment. Marshall Griffin's taut direction has created a confident, honest and raw piece that has connected with the selfie generation, and two late night shows have been added to the run, so book quickly!
BOOK NOW FOR 1-2-1 THIS SEX IS REAL
Paul is a playwright, director, actor, academic, (he has a PhD from the University of East Anglia), teacher and theatre reviewer! His plays include Living with Luke, (UK tour 2016), Play Something, (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/Drayton Arms Theatre, London 2018), , (2019), and now The Miner’s Crow, which won the inaugural Artist’s Pick of the Fringe Award at the first ever Colchester Fringe Festival 2021. In lockdown 2020 he created the audio series Isolation Alan, available on Youtube, and performed online in the Voice Box Festival. He is the founder member of Stage Write, a Colchester based theatre company, and his acting roles include Rupert in How We Love by Annette Brook, first performed at the Vaults Festival 2020 and revived at the Arcola and at Theatre Peckham in 2021. Follow: @stagewrite_
Stay in the spotlight
Get the latest theatre news, reviews and exclusive offers straight to your inbox.
